Another use for a bacta tank
by shadowgirl999
Summary: While pregnant with her third child, Leia is informed of a relaxation technique that some pregnant women have used before. Rated M for nudity and sexual examination.


**ANOTHER USE FOR BACTA: A Star Wars fanfiction by shadowgirl999**

**Rated M: contains nudity and intimate female checkups. Takes place about 6 and a half months after "discovery of hidden gold".**

**Made in loving tribute to my mother, who went through all the pains of pregnancy and more for me. Love you so much, mom!**

"Okay, I'm going to need you to take off your underwear, please." The Mon Calamari doctor named Eklor said as she stood before Leia, who was now dressed in nothing but a hospital gown and underwear. "I'm going to perform a vaginal examination just to make sure everything is going fine."

Leia nodded and slowly slid her white cotton underpants down her long legs, wincing slightly as she bent over. Her belly had grown considerably in the last 6 and a half months since she received the news that she and Han were going to have their third child, and with it also grew her appetite, her breasts, and her desire for sex. Leia had gotten used to the morning sickness due to her prior pregnancy, but it still made her feel disgusting and she was a little out of it right now. She was now at a floating hospital on Mon Cala for her monthly checkup, and feeling slightly nervous but safe with her friend there to care for her. Eklor had been there when she was checked up on after being enslaved by Jabba, when she conceived her first two children and was very kind and helpful to her 8 months later when she gave birth to them, even though Leia had left wearing huge, frozen diapers that triggered her PTSD from being Jabba's slave girl. Eklor had later been informed about the more…degrading details of being a concubine to Jabba and had been very apologetic to Leia about not better preparing her for the reality of postpartum care, but the princess had been very kind, saying that he doctor had no reason to expect such a traumatic mental reaction from her. The two of them had become good friends, and after Eklor was chosen as her OB-GYN, she wanted the princess to be nothing but comfortable during her pregnancy. Leia placed her panties on a nearby table and lay down on the almost-vertical examination table, the weight of her belly feeling uncomfortable as she was slowly moved into position.

"Okay, now just relax. This might get a little uncomfortable." Eklor said as she pulled out a speculum. "Deep breaths, please."

She inserted the device into Leia's vagina, making her wince as the cold metal touched the sensitive lips of her vulva. The little tongs of the speculum stretched her female parts wide open, allowing for Eklor to shine a small light into her cervix as Leia gasped in discomfort at the stretching of her most delicate parts.

"Have you been feeling any heartburn?" Eklor asked.

"Well, some." Leia said as she leaned back a little, her swollen breasts heaving. "Almost every time I eat I get at least a little."

"Well, that's normal for most pregnant humans." Eklor said as she gently rubbed a cotton swab on a stick inside Leia's cervix. "Progesterone is the hormone that relaxes the muscles during pregnancy, but it also relaxes the valve in the stomach that keeps the acid out of your esophagus. Also, since your uterus is growing it tends to 'crowd' the stomach and force some stomach acid into the esophagus."

"Well, I remember when I was pregnant with Jacen and Jaina. It felt like I was going to have a heart attack every time I ate." Leia said with groan as she flexed her back, which cracked slightly from having to lay flat for hours. "And my belly feels almost as heavy as it did back then. It's a good thing its only one baby this time."

"Do you need to use the refresher?" Eklor asked as she heled Leia off of the table.

Leia nodded, feeling the weight of her baby on her bladder as she tried to get up, the extra weight making it difficult.

"Okay, right this way, princess." Eklor said as she took Leia's arms and gently helped her to her feet. "I know you don't like having to get help, but you need it in this case. I'm here for you if you need anything."

"Thanks, it's really getting tricky to walk." Leia said, annoyance in her voice as she hobbled onto her feet, holding her swollen belly. "At least everything after birth is a little easier. Even those damn frozen diapers I had to wear are easier than walking carrying a 6-pound baby."

Eklor smiled as she helped Leia into the refresher and closed the door for privacy, folding the table back and rearranging all of the equipment as she washed her hands. She and Leia had become good friends since she was first looked over by her after her encounter with Jabba the Hutt, and had been chosen by Leia as her personal OB/GYN during her first pregnancy. Eklor felt honored to be so valued by the former princess of Alderaan and leader of the Rebellion herself, and had offered her many services during her first pregnancy. The sounds of the refresher being flushed and water running as Leia scrubbed her hands were heard before the door opened and Leia walked out, wincing slightly as she clutched her belly.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Eklor asked as she took Leia's hands to steady the naked, pregnant princess.

"Yes please, maybe a little something." Leia said as she sat down, gripping her back and belly and wincing slightly.

Eklor exited the room for a few minutes, leaving Leia reclining naked on the table, which had converted into a chair. She later returned holding a plate of hot food including some rice, a soufflé, some vegetables, and a bowl of pasta.

"Oh, thank you Eklor." Leia said with a sigh as she practically devoured the food, savoring the taste. "It's worth the heartburn just to eat this well."

"You're welcome, Princess." Eklor said as she rubbed Leia's back, making the princess moan in relief as her large hands rubbed the sore muscles in her back.

Leia shivered as her bare, pregnant body felt so tingly at Eklor massaging her sore spine. She finished off her food in no time, then leaned back and pressed into Eklor's massage.

"Thank you…so much." Leia moaned. "Han has been gone on a mission for a few weeks and with Jacen and Jaina at the Jedi academy, I haven't had much of anyone to talk to."

"Well Leia, I'm just here to help." Eklor said as she squeezed Leia's shoulder blades. "Anything bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine." Leia said a little too quickly. "I'm perfectly fine. Nothing I can't handle."

"Leia…" Eklor said as she stopped the massage and walked over to the other side of the table so that she could look Leia in the eyes. "…are you really?"

Leia's eyes teared up slightly as she buried her head in her hands.

"N-No, I'm f-feeling terrible!" she moaned as she rubbed her teary eyes, her swollen belly making it difficult to lean forwards. "I get heartburn whenever I eat, I can't get comfortable enough to sleep, so I end up tired, hungry, and feeling horrible almost 24/7!"

Eklor hugged Leia close, or as close as possible with her pregnant belly in the way. She had dealt with dozens of pregnant females before, and this was nothing new for her.

"It's going to be okay, princess." She said as she stroked Leia's long hair.

"Sure it is." Leia said with venom in her voice. "You sound so damn reassured of it."

Leia then gasped and looked up at Eklor, looking sorrowful.

"I'm so s-sorry, Eklor. I d-don't know w-what got into me!" she said as she leaned forward in the chair and hugged the Mon Calamari nurse.

"Pregnancy hormones." Eklor said as she squeezed Leia's hands. "They really make you irate, don't they? I've dealt with all sort of pregnant females, and at least your species doesn't try and decapitate you when they get mad while they're carrying."

Leia giggled as she rubbed her belly, wincing slightly.

"Is the baby kicking?" Eklor asked as she placed a hand on Leia's abdomen.

"Yes, it's very active." Leia said as she leaned back a little, her back protesting as she bent it. "It feels amazing that I'm carrying a baby, but it's also so tiring. I feel like gravity hates me."

Eklor thought for a moment and then smiled, standing up and holding out her hands.

"I have an idea. Take my hands, princess."

Leia held out her hands and grasped tightly, allowing Eklor to pull her naked, swollen, 6-and-a-half-month-pregnant body off of the chair. She then carefully got to her feet as Eklor stabilized her with her arms and walked holding her hand towards the door.

"Have you heard of float therapy?" Eklor asked as she led Leia through the door and into the outlying rooms in the OB-GYN.

"It sounds familiar, but I don't think I've heard of it personally." Leia said as she waddled with Eklor, walking past a few beds and into a darkened room. "Why?"

"It's a type of therapy usually used for people who have had severe injuries like decapitations, although sometimes it's used for everyday meditation and relaxation." Eklor said as she turned on the lights, making Leia cover her eyes. "It gives off this feeling of weightlessness and can help amputees come to grips with their missing their limbs. But we don't use water, we use bacta."

Leia squinted through the bright lights, which combined with the white walls, made it incredibly bright in the hospital room. She saw the open hatch to a bacta tank much like the ones the Alliance used to heal injured soldiers, glowing slightly with a humming noise.

"We recently found that if you cut off all external senses by sealing the tank and turning off all light, it helps pregnant women come to grips with their situation and focus on themselves and their baby. It helps them to calm down, reduce unhealthy stress, relieves soreness in their bodies, and all kinds of other benefits. It even gives them this feeling of weightlessness that they ordinarily wouldn't have." Eklor said as she helped Leia walk towards it. "Because of this, it helps them relax and gives them a little relief from the extra weight of carrying their babies while also aiding in the removal of external bacteria, making for a healthier pregnancy. We've experimented with this technique with several volunteers before and found it worked perfectly without harming the baby because bacta doesn't put pressure on the body the way water does, and apparently it even results in a much healthier and cleaner pregnancy because the bacta soaks into every pore and almost every orifice of the female body, removing all unwanted bacteria."

Leia was surprised. She had never heard of anything like this before. Eklor took her hands and walked her over to the bacta tank, another nurse folding Leia's freshly-cleaned clothing and placing it in a little closet nearby.

"Wow…" Leia said as she carefully squatted beside the open tank, sitting down and placing her bare feet into the bacta.

It felt warm and tingly, and definitely relieving for her sore, swollen feet. She closed her eyes and slowly dipped her legs into the tank up to her knees ad she sat. The bacta seeped into the pores of her skin, making her bare, freshly-shaved legs tingle as the pain of carrying a baby's weight left them.

"Would you like to try full submersion?" Eklor asked as she squeezed Leia's bare shoulders. "This treatment has a 100% success rate so far and all the mothers I've treated love it. So far, we've discovered nothing unhealthy about it for pregnant women in the least."

"Yes please." Leia said, eager to feel the relaxing sensation of being submerged while pregnant.

"You don't mind if I take notes, do you?" Eklor asked. "I would only like to monitor how it works for future patients. We do this with every woman we've treated this way so far, and your privacy will be protected in the official logs."

"Go right ahead." Leia said as she bobbed in the bacta, preparing to immerse herself totally in the healing chemicals.

She was curious about it, and especially glad it wouldn't harm her baby. Eklor held out an air mask and strapped it over her head, attaching the reinforced rubber tube to a huge air tank and opening the valve to the max. Leia heard the hissing sound as the air was pumped through the tube and into the mask over her mouth and nose, pumping air into her powerful lungs.

"Is the mask working fine?" Eklor asked, looking in concern at Leia's pregnant belly.

Leia nodded, smiling as she started to stand up, wobbling slightly from the lack of balance that came with her pregnancy. Eklor immediately grasped Leia's shoulders and wrapped an arm under Leia's arms, pulling the pregnant and extremely-heavy princess onto her swollen feet.

"Careful, princess. I'll help steady you and you can enter the tank." Eklor said as she guided Leia into the bacta tank and handed her a pair of earbuds, placing a pair into her own ear holes. "These earplugs can act as headphones so that we can communicate via the microphone in your mask, but otherwise you should be floating in total silence. And don't worry about your modesty, I'll make sure no male personnel, and in fact no one else besides alliance doctors and nurses, are allowed in here. You will be given total privacy while you are floating."

"**Wow, that sounds amazing." **Leia's voice said over her earbuds as she tapped her ears and snapped her fingers just next to her ears to test. **"Speaking of sound, these earplugs are incredible!"**

Leia whistled and clapped her hands to test them. Sure enough, she was totally deaf to outside sounds. She could hear nothing from the outside world and was starting to become more aware of her heartbeat.

"**All right, here we go." **Eklor's voice said as the Mon Calamari nurse helped Leia by the hands.** "Into the tank carefully, please."**

Leia was guided into the tank of bacta by her hands as she breathed through the air mask, her body tingling as she was lowered into the deep liquid of the bacta tank. Her huge belly tingled as the healing chemical surrounded it, a similar sensation coming over her breasts. Leia breathed slowly and carefully as she felt her head go under the surface of the healing fluid, closing her eyes.

"**Would you like me to turn off the lights for extra sensory deprivation?" **Eklor's voice said over the earplugs.

"**Yes please." **Leia said as she bobbed up and down in the bacta tank.** "Thank you so much…this feels just amazing."**

"**No problem, princess. If you need anything, just contact me." **Eklor said.** "I'll be right here outside the tank all day long if you need me."**

There was a click as the connection cut off and the lights were shut off in the huge tube, leaving Leia floating in total darkness and silence. The naked, pregnant princess bobbed up and down in the bacta tank and breathed slowly, her breathing silent due to the mask she wore. Leia had never experienced such silence in her entire life. She couldn't even hear her heartbeat nor that of her unborn baby, although she definitely felt it. Leia felt aware of everything about her body, everything from the weight of her uterus to the swelling of her feet, which had started to go down due to the bacta. She had never felt so at one with herself as a woman before, and loved the feeling she got from it. Leia breathed slowly, gently touching her pregnant belly as she thought of her other two children, Jacen and Jaina, who were at the Jedi Academy right now. Her heart filled with pride at the thought of them becoming Jedi someday, and wished her third child could do the same.

"_**It's so quiet…" **_Leia thought as she floated in the bacta tank, rubbing her belly as she felt the kicks of her baby._** "…I can even hear you, little one."**_

She heard a faint heartbeat along with her own, pulsing in tune with its mother's heart as the two of them floated together in the life-giving fluid, raw, primal and joyous. Leia relaxed every muscle in her body as she floated in the bacta and bobbed up and down, the air mask over her face feeling like the umbilical cord that was giving oxygen to her nascent child right now. She felt like a goddess floating in liquid space naked, pregnant, glowing in pride…Leia wished she could stay here forever. She carefully swam up to the top of the bacta tube and allowed herself to slowly float downwards again, the weight of her baby feeling amazing as it acted as a counterweight, unlike in the outside world where it felt like a burden on her raw, naked body. Leia could even feel her blood flowing through her veins from her heart, supplying her body with energy and giving her heart the fuel it needed to pump, in turn powering her lungs to breathe life-giving air from her mask, which in turn supplied her blood with healthy oxygen and supplied her baby with the elements it needed to survive in her womb, supplementing the nutrition from the food Leia ate. All of her body was working to give her baby life and Leia felt so pure, so relaxed, so at peace with the universe as a whole and her body in particular.

"_**I can't wait to meet you, my child…" **_Leia thought as she held her large belly, floating in the bacta and breathing slowly through the oxygen mask._** "…even though you've made a mess of my body and my emotional state, I still will love you and care for you as long as I can. Mommy's here, mommy's got you, you're going to be safe in this world."**_

Leia continued floating in the bacta as all thoughts of the future and past left her mind, focusing entirely on where she was there and then. She didn't think of the past few months where she had been dealing with heartburn, swollen feet, and the loss of balance, the lactation and soreness. She didn't imagine a month and a half from now when her child would be born and she would be wearing those frozen postpartum diapers for a week or two while she recovered. Leia thought of nothing but herself and her unborn baby as she floated for hours, losing all sense of time as her brain focused on nothing but keeping herself floating.

"**It's just like being in a womb." **Leia said as she wrapped her arms around her swollen belly, feeling her unborn child relaxing in her womb.

"Are you feeling relaxed now, princess?" Eklor asked as she spoke through the microphone, monitoring Leia's vital signs over a computer.

"**Absolutely calm and stress-free." **Leia said as she floated around in the bacta tank, her pregnant, balled-up, naked body bobbing up and down just like a cork.** "It feels like heaven. Thank you so much for this…"**

Eklor smiled as she sat down in a chair and looked over the vital signs of Leia and her unborn baby, keeping a close eye for anything unusual. Heart rate was well within normal at 63 BPM, blood pressure was at 128 over 84, and respiratory rate was at 15 breaths per minute. Everything was fine with Leia's physical state, and Eklor was glad to see that she was doing a great job in the bacta.

"No problem Leia, just tell me when you're ready to get out." She said as Leia's naked body, swollen with her child, floated up and down in the healing fluid as bubbles drifted up to the surface from her breathing. "I'm not going anywhere. As the obstetrician, it's my duty to keep you healthy and safe and that's what I'll do."

Radio silence followed, leaving Leia totally deaf. With her sensitive eyes, Eklor could see through the nearly pitch-black bacta to see the various imperfections in Leia's pregnant body fading slowly due to the bacta healing them, everything from her swollen feet to the stretch marks of her belly to even the bags under her lovely chocolate-brown eyes. Her breasts were firm and full of milk, her vulva stretched slightly to prepare for her baby, her hips wide and firm for birthing. Leia looked like a goddess of the earth, pregnant and glowing as she floated in the tank of fluid. Eklor smiled and leaned back in her chair, drinking a fish-oil beverage as she pressed a button to allow more oxygen into the mask.

"_**I should note this for future patients…" **_She thought as she typed in her doctor's log._** "…bacta treatment for pregnant females is incredibly calming for the woman involved. Not only do they appear to be physically calmer once fully immersed in the experience, but their minds appear to be greatly relaxed according to brain activity monitors."**_

Eklor finished her tea as she lay back and rested, keeping her earbuds in so Leia could talk to her if she needed to. The Mon Calamari doctor closed her large dark eyes and drifted off to sleep as Leia floated naked in the bacta tank, looking absolutely at peace with herself and the universe. Her firm breasts slowly bobbed around in the tank, the redness from swelling with milk fading slightly. Her vulva absorbed the healing fluids and felt soothed by them, feeling a lot less tight and more flexible for childbirth. Her lovely lips, which had been dry and cracked due to lack of time spent on them during pregnancy, became soft, moist and plump. Excess earwax was slowly melted away as the bacta seeped into Leia's ear canals through the specially-made porous earbuds, leaving her ears able to hear her own heartbeat better. The bags under her eyes from tiredness related to her pregnancy faded and vanished, her beautiful eyelids fluttering slightly as she floated. Even her throat and nostrils felt clear from the controlled oxygen of the mask, leaving Leia breathing smoother than before as she floated naked in the cool, soothing fluid of the tank. Leia loved this sensation. She never wanted to get out of the tank again, but she knew she had to eventually. Leia felt so soothed and so calm and so all-around relaxed that she couldn't even keep her lovely eyes open. She placed both hands on her large belly, breathing slowly as her eyelids closed of their own accord. Soon, Leia was fast asleep in the bacta tank, floating calmly as she entered a state of deep, calming REM sleep.

**Hours later…**

Eklor carefully adjusted the amount of oxygen as Leia floated in total darkness, her bare, pregnant body bobbing up and down slightly as bubbles drifted up from her oxygen mask. Leia had her hands on her huge belly as she slept in the bacta tank, her body floating weightlessly. Eklor looked at the vital signs and was relieved to see that both the princess and her baby were doing fine so far. Leia's lovely brown eyes opened as she looked at Eklor and tapped her earplugs. Eklor pressed a button on the microphone and made a soft beep echo through the earplugs as she cleared her throat.

"How are you doing, princess?" she asked as she rubbed the tube,

"**Just fine, thank you so much for suggesting this." **Leia said over the comlink as she sighed at her absolutely calm state.** "I think I'm ready to come out now."**

"Okay, just swim to the top and I'll help you out." Eklor said as she walked up a set of stairs to the upper level of the hospital, a miniature, treaded crane droid rolling into place next to the hatch of the bacta tank as it opened up. "Just swim into the harness and I'll pull you right out. It's not healthy for you to try and pull yourself out under your own strength right now."

Leia swam closer to the surface and into the harness, allowing Eklor to strap her naked, pregnant body into place, with Leia tightening the straps herself to make sure she didn't slip out and damage her nascent child.

"All ready." She said through the mask as she strapped one under her pregnant belly

"All right, I'm going to lift you now." Eklor said, patting the droid on the back as it lowered magnetic clamps to hold itself in place. "Go ahead, 2-1-BB, lift her out."

2-1-BB moved near-silently as it lifted Leia out of the bacta tank, the crane arm moving slightly higher and higher as the naked, pregnant princess emerged from the tank, pulling off her air mask and earplugs.

"How do you feel, princess?" Eklor asked as Leia was gently lowered onto a bench outside the tank, leaning forward to keep her balance with her large belly.

"Absolutely relaxed." Leia said as she hugged Eklor close. "Thank you so much for suggesting this."

"Well, your test results came back clean." Eklor said as she was held tightly by the naked, pregnant princess. "Your baby is perfectly healthy and so are you. No infections, no abnormalities in the baby's vitals, and no unforeseen complications. You're doing fine, congratulations."

Eklor hugged her back as she rubbed Leia dry with warm towels, helping her to her feet as a Twi'lek nurse walked forwards with Leia's clothing, which was freshly laundered and folded for her. With Leia's enhanced sense of smell doe to being pregnant, the scent of clean clothes felt wonderful to her nostrils, and with her sensitive skin, the soft, clean cloth felt heavenly on her body.

"Ooh, thank you Mulasare." She said as she stepped into her panties and bra, followed by a maternity dress and shoes. "These smell so fresh and clean…"

"Anything to make you comfortable, highness." Mulasare said, smiling as she walked away.

"I love that you remember everyone's name." Eklor said as she helped Leia with her dress.

"Of course I remember their names." Leia said as she stepped into her shoes, kicking them slightly to feel more comfortable. "The alliance is as much my family as Han, as much as Luke, and as much as Jacen and Jaina, and someday, as much as this little one. I care for all of you."

She hugged Eklor again and walked out into the hallway where Han, Jacen and Jaina were waiting to greet her. The two lovers embraced and kissed as Han smelled her skin, freshly-cleaned from the bacta.

"How was your visit, dear?" he asked as he took his pregnant wife by the hand and rubbed her belly.

"Everything's fine, Han." Leia said as she kissed him and then hugged Jacen and Jaina as they hugged her tight. "Our baby is okay, and I just had the most relaxing time I've had in years."

"Mom, how did the baby get inside you anyway?" Jacen asked, looking curiously at his mother.

Leia blushed slightly, giggling and looking at Han as she rubbed her son's head and squeezed Jaina's hand.

"Well that's a story for another time, dear." Leia said as she walked towards the door to the hospital, Han holding her gently as she walked. "Maybe when you're both a little older."

"Nuts." Jacen said as Jaina giggled at her brother's annoyance.

"Ha ha, you can't always get your way!" Jaina giggled as she stuck out her tongue.

"Knock it off, you two." Han said as he led Leia down the hallway to the docking bay. "You all right, dear?"

Leia looked out at the _Millennnium Falcon_, docked on a landing pad just outside the floating hospital on Mon Cala. She pondered Jacen and Jaina as they ran around and playfully tussled with each other, wrestling and laughing for fun. She pondered her full, pregnant form and her feeling of motherhood. She pondered the impending birth, the postpartum depression, the lochia, the frozen diapers, and lactation and the tiredness. She pondered Han as he held her gently, guiding her towards the _Falcon_. Was she all right? Yes, without a doubt.

"I'm perfectly all right, you old scoundrel." She said as she kissed Han, walking up the ramp into the _Millennium Falcon _as Jacen and Jaina followed. "Thank you for giving this family to me."

**The end. **

**Tell me what you think of this story, I got the idea for this from those big floatation tanks full of salt water like the one that I heard they have in the TV show "Stranger Things", which I should probably take a look at someday. I heard that some people use them to just relax or recover from things like amputation or trauma, and I figured "what if a pregnant woman used a bacta tank like the one from Empire Strikes Back to just relax from her stress?" Dedicated to my mother who gave me life and would have loved to do something just like this when she was pregnant with me and my siblings. Please review!**


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